A new Texas law is now in effect and impacting undocumented immigrants when they go to the hospital.
As of Friday, Texas hospitals and urgent cares must now ask patients whether they are in the U.S. legally.
Hospitals also have to track the cost of treating people without legal status.
J.R. Gonzales is with the Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce. He fears this new executive order could discourage people from getting treatment even in emergencies.
He said, “If you’re here undocumented — actually going to the hospital is very, very scary, very fearful for people because they’re afraid of what’s going to happen.”
So here’s what patients should know:
You have the right to withhold information from hospital staff. Hospital staff must also tell patients that their responses will not affect their care.
This was an executive order announced by Governor Abbott in August, and it is a response to the Biden administration’s open border policy.
In a statement back in August, Abbot said “Texans should not have to shoulder the burden of financially supporting medical care for illegal immigrants.”
J.R. said immigrants play a major role in Texas’ economy and this executive order could present a scary future for the state.
“It’s costing the state money, yes it’s — when you start putting in an effort to try to work or discourage immigrants from coming to this state, and this economy’s gonna suffer," he said.
Baylor Scott and White deferred comment to the Texas Hospital Association for comment.
The Texas Hospital Association sent 25News the below statement:
"The bottom line for patients is that this doesn’t change hospital care. Texas hospitals continue to be a safe place for needed care. On the particulars of implementation, all hospitals are different. Hospitals across the state are working on the backend to determine how to comply with the reporting guidance and meet the state’s deadlines."
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